Does anyone know anything about Paul Roberts and the atrue Shin Buddhist group he ran (or maybe still does run?) to me it seems semi-cult like in that apparently he can validate or invalidate people's shinjin? This is just something I've heard so I'm not sure if it's true or not. But u have found some of his YouTube videos helpful.

I couldn't find anything controversial about him via net-search. Also, there's nothing about him on the websites I know who list controversial teachers.
Vibes (positive or negative) can be very different in meatspace or video.

I have decided to stick with love.
Hate is too great a burden to bear.
- Martin Luther King, Jr. -

The issues Paul Roberts and others like him have is the interpretation of Pure Land teachings found in some modern Shin works. A very ample thread on the topic can be found here. Roberts "validating" others' shinjin seems like polemics from his detractors, as it is inconsistent with the writings of his I've read, or those of Rev. Josho.

I do not personally like the idea of closed groups such as his, but to each his own. Everyone has a reason.

I couldn't find anything controversial about him via net-search. Also, there's nothing about him on the websites I know who list controversial teachers.
Vibes (positive or negative) can be very different in meatspace or video.

The issues Paul Roberts and others like him have is the interpretation of Pure Land teachings found in some modern Shin works. A very ample thread on the topic can be found here. Roberts "validating" others' shinjin seems like polemics from his detractors, as it is inconsistent with the writings of his I've read, or those of Rev. Josho.

I do not personally like the idea of closed groups such as his, but to each his own. Everyone has a reason.

Monlam, agreed he seems like a good enough teacher. Josho on the other hand (I am friends with him on Facebook) regularly advocates the deportation of all Muslims from Europe and makes some pretty lewd jokes. I'm not perfect myself and not to get all political but I don't really feel like these are good positions for a Buddhist lol

Regardless, he has some really lovely writings on faith in Buddhism as distinguished from faith/doubt as it is commonly understood for those in a Christian culture. I can share some links if interested.
I also found him very helpful in some email exchanges.

I think the DW thread I linked to is fairly illuminating on this specific issue, though it is long. Astus has a keen mind for getting to the root of the matter, and shared his direct correspondence with Alfred Bloom (now deceased) on various points of contention between Shin and the "true Shin" thinkers.

Regardless, he has some really lovely writings on faith in Buddhism as distinguished from faith/doubt as it is commonly understood for those in a Christian culture. I can share some links if interested.
I also found him very helpful in some email exchanges.

I think the DW thread I linked to is fairly illuminating on this specific issue, though it is long. Astus has a keen mind for getting to the root of the matter, and shared his direct correspondence with Alfred Bloom (now deceased) on various points of contention between Shin and the "true Shin" thinkers.

Yes I'd be very interested in those links! I was raised in a pretty radical political environment so these things kinda stick out to me, it's something I'm learning not to be AS judgmental about, like not totally disregarding what someone says because of their beliefs about certain things.

LOL, yeah its cool (I think). Shin is the type of Pure Land that seems the most interesting to me, but I haven't really tried out other types other than the Japanese variety. I was turned off by some Chinese and Vietnamese teachers I heard because of their views on homosexuality. One of the reasons I left Christianity was because my sister was not accepted in that faith community because of sexual preference (unless she stopped actively loving the person she did) which I thought was ludicrous. Its more cultural a thing than anything else, but I don't think I could learn from someone that I knew had those views. I haven't seen the same thing in Japanese Buddhism, so far anyway.

Those guys (Paul Roberts et al) post a lot of good resources. I understand why they do what they do, and doctrinally I'm not sure I really have any issues with them, but some of the rhetoric is not really my cup of tea.

This is actually the first I'm hearing of Josho Adrian Cirlea and the comments on Muslims or the lewd jokes. He posted a revised translation of Genshin's Ojoyoshu that I've found handy. He's been posting on the 4 thoughts that turn the mind toward Amitabha - which I kind of find to be a reappropriation of Tibetan Buddhist teachings. I first learned about him from his actions at a European Shin conference a while back, so I guess I've always known that he has no fear of controversy.

My experience with Paul Roberts has been very positive.
About a half year ago while I was caring for my mother who has suffering from cancer I contacted him after watching some dharma talks he has posted on YouTube.
I asked him for advise as I was in the process of trying to provide guidance to my mother in the final period of her illness.
My main objective was to familiarize her mindstream with the energy of blessing from the Buddha Amitabha and Paul's reply was very deep, thoughtful and inspirational.
It was of great help to my mother and she was touched by it and completely understood what he meant.

Paul can come on strong but only because he wants to eradicate any misunderstandings that exist about Shinran's teachings especially within the modernist context of contemporary Shinshu teachings.
He recognizes he does have a intense way of conveying his message as he is a born and raised New Yorker and certainly has that Big Apple way of talking.

The people that I have met in the short period of time I spent in their online sangha were all very pleasant and very kind.
Allot of poetic creativity is expressed in writings to praise the inconceivable compassion of the Buddha Amitabha for us beings wandering in samsara.
All in all, I would say the True Shin Buddhism online sangha are providing a very valuable service to people all over the world to easily connect with the Amida Dharma and to provide them with guidance.

Does anyone know anything about Paul Roberts and the atrue Shin Buddhist group he ran (or maybe still does run?) to me it seems semi-cult like in that apparently he can validate or invalidate people's shinjin? This is just something I've heard so I'm not sure if it's true or not. But u have found some of his YouTube videos helpful.

Namu Amida Butsu

My impression is that he is a very good teacher of the dharma ,straightforward and very helpful. I dont agree that he is a cult leader.He acctually says to people who has doubts, that they should try own power practices, and when they fail, turn to Amida buddha. And i have never heard him slag off other buddhist paths or claim to be a guru or the like. Which is more than you can say about many other buddhist leaders today. Namu Amida Butsu

I think that Paul Roberts is a genuine teacher of the Shin way. Not a cult leader. He refers everything back to Honen, Shinran and Rennyo, not to his own thinking. He doesn't invalidate Shin, but he does point out when people's words and ideas stray from "true Shin Buddhism".

He's a genuine person. He's not a cult leader or anything like that. I was learning from him for some time, but we got into an argument and stopped talking since. I think sometimes he tries to stress the difference between Jodo Shinshu and other schools too much, to the point of saying that Jodo Shinshu is not Mahayana, or that there's no Bodhicitta in Shinshu --- which is directly contradicted by the writings of Shinran.

This is especially true when you consider that one of the actual purposes behind the writing of the Kyogyoshinsho was to address the criticism against Honen that he dismissed the idea of bodhicitta (attributed to Myoei, Shinran’s Shinjin being bodhicitta in the receptive sense).